Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has change of heart insisting his side can progress in Champions League

Roberto Mancini has previously stated that only a miracle would be enough to
take his Manchester City team to the Champions League knockout phase but he
now says that nine points from their three remaining games will be enough.

Defiant: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says he now believes his side can progress through the group stages of the Champions League if City can win their remaining three gamesPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

City head into Tuesday’s home match with Ajax with just one point from their three matches – after suffering defeats at Real Madrid and Ajax either side of an abject home draw with Dortmund.

It could prove a pivotal week in more ways than one, with former Barcelona technical director Txiki Begiristain – whose arrival could erode Mancini’s influence – beginning work in his role as director of football.

“We need to win the next three games. If we win those games we will go through, 100 per cent,” Mancini said.

“Sometimes in football this can happen but the important thing is that it doesn’t depend on the other clubs.

“If we win our games we’ll go through but it’s not easy because if we had one point in three games to do another nine in the next three games is very tough.”

Mancini maintains he is looking forward to Begiristain’s arrival and, after his strained relationship with previous sporting director Brian Marwood, who will now be working with the academy, he believes the Spaniard will bring dynamism to City’s transfer plans.

The Italian batted away questions about last season’s dalliance with the Monaco job and after previous contact was restricted to text messages, he will hold his first meetings with Begiristain this week.

However, he played down talk that Begiristain’s arrival means City will now attempt to hijack Barcelona’s move for Santos’s Brazilian prospect Neymar.

“When Txiki starts to work here we can start to talk about the future and for us it will be very important,” Mancini added.

“Neymar is a Santos player and I don’t know what can happen with him in the future. "I am happy to work now with a new sporting director because he knows other situations that I don’t know at this moment.